Bedside Solace
by Numbah 12
Summary: This is my version of the missing scene from Operation: TRICYCLE that numerous 15 fans wished they could have seen on screen, taking place after Numbuh 5 crashed and before we see her again on her feet with the others. Please R&R, and enjoy!


Author's Note: Normal disclaimers apply. Unifilar gets credit for coming up with the title for this. Also, forgive me for inserting several original ideas into this, including Numbuh 1's eye color, and what medical drugs that the KND might be supplied with and how they would use it. I also presented the idea that Numbuh 5 had more serious injuries than they really showed in the episode. I don't think that she, OR Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 could recover as quickly from an injury like that as it seemed like they did.

**Bedside Solace**

When Numbuh 5 became conscious again, her whole body ached. She moaned weakly, trying to move, but she couldn't. She wondered in the back of her mind if she was still on the street. Had anyone seen her? Had Numbuh 2 possibly heard the crash?

_"Abby! He's right behind you! Get out of there NOW!"_

The last voice she had heard before the crash echoed through her mind. Her eyes shot open, and her mouth started moving.

"Nigel!"

"Wha- Numbuh 5!"

She heard rapid footsteps approaching her. She squirmed, nervous and uncomfortable. Where was she?

Then she felt a sweaty, clammy hand gently covering hers. She jumped slightly at the contact, which her body didn't like. She hissed as a shot of pain ran down her chest. Through the haze of pain, she felt fingers rubbing against her palm. She instinctively relaxed at the touch.

"Numbuh 5? Can you hear me?"

She tried hard to open her eyes. They were coated five times over with lead; she couldn't move them at all. She groaned again, her body on fire. She tried vainly to connect the familiar voice.

"N….Numbuh…..Numbuh 1?"

"Yes, it's me," the voice smoothed over the waves of pain that rolling around in her head.

"Wha…What happened?"

"Tommy," the name came out from the normally smooth British voice in a snarl. "That…that traitor…."

"He….he hit me?" Too many words were being spoken for her to process them properly.

The voice went back to its normal soothing tone, to her immense relief. "Yes. Somehow, he came right up behind you and ran you over."

Numbuh 5 tried to make her brain start working, to process the words and put together the conversation properly, but she was in too much pain.

"Numbuh 1….it hurts," she moaned, not caring at the moment whether or not she sounded weak.

"I know, Numbuh 5. The pain meds should be here any minute now."

Numbuh 5 often wondered how on Earth the KND had been able to obtain pain meds and other dangerous drugs for their special base hospitals. The drugs were not allowed off of the main base headquarters, and they were kept away from almost everyone, even from Numbuh 362. Only the head scientists of moon base headquarters were allowed to handle the drugs, and only then under extreme emergencies. Was her case an emergency? She was too tired to think too much about it.

Her sense of time was hazy, so she had no idea how much time had passed when she started to hear more footsteps and different voices coming together. She breathed deeply, which was another mistake; her chest tightened in pain. She tried not to focus too much on the noise, since she knew that would only make her head feel worse. She felt open and vulnerable lying there, wherever she was, without someone she knew there next to her, though she would never admit that out loud. She slowly flexed her fingers, trying to get her muscles to work.

What seemed like hours later, but was really only about five minutes, she heard Numbuh 1's voice again.

"You've been given a dosage. Hopefully, that will make it easier on you. Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 had to receive it first before they could get to you; they've been in this condition longer."

Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 had been hurt too? Why was this happening? Was Numbuh 2 hurt too, or was he still out there? Before she could ask any of these questions, she heard her leader's voice waft into her brain.

"I'm so sorry," he said, barely above a whisper. "First Numbuh's 3 and 4, and now you. I could have prevented this. I could have saved you…"

Quiet, subdued….that wasn't the Numbuh 1 she knew. She was awake and aware enough to know that much. She vaguely recalled a voice similar to it coming from her leader during the Grandfather crisis, and she tried even harder to get her eyes open.

"Numbuh 1," she said in a low voice. "You did all you could." To her relief, the lead was slowly starting to trickle off of her eyes. "I was the one who shoulda seen…"

"No, no," he protested hurriedly, and then he was holding her hand again. Her muscles slowly started to loosen, relaxing slightly as the pain started to fade away like steam rising up off the hard ground.

"Numbuh 5, there's no way you could have seen him. He was much too fast."

She took another even breath. "If I couldn't a done nothin', then you surely couldn't."

Her throat still hurt, but she felt her voice returning to her. He squeezed her hand gently, and she finally managed to force open her eyes.

She couldn't see much; her sight was too fuzzy and unfocused. What she COULD see, however, was Nigel Uno's dark brown eyes, which were peeking over his black sunglasses, looking worriedly back down at her.


End file.
